History

When New York University announced in 1900 that it would open an evening school for instruction in commerce, accounts, and finance the announcement was received with great criticism and belief of faliure. The crucial need for student support of this idea is one of many reasons for the founding of Alpha Kappa Psi. 

The Fraternity's Founders attended classes at New York University five nights a week.  Occupying the same seats every night these four gentlemen became well acquainted.  These four men from Brooklyn (Bergen, Jefferson, Lane, Leach), later known as the Brooklyn Four walked home from school every night across the Brooklyn Bridge and discussed the need for an organization that would promote the same spirit and the brotherhood that the four men developed just that year.  The spirit of brotherhood was so strong in the hearts of the Brooklyn Four that during their second year, they decided to introduce the idea to the other students in their class.  As a result, Alpha Kappa Psi, the first professional fraternity in business, was founded as an organization on October 5, 1904.

A formal application for a charter of incorporation for Alpha Kappa Psi was handwritten by Frederick R. Leach and signed by the ten Founders: George L. Bergen, Irving L. Camp, Robert S. Douglas, Daniel V. Duff, Howard M. Jefferson, Nathan Lane Jr., Frederic R. Leach, Morris S. Rachmil, William O. Tremaine, and Herbert M. Wright.  The application was approved, and the charter of incorporation was formally issued on May 20, 1905.

In 1910, the Beta chapter of the Fraternity was installed at the University of Denver followed shortly by the installation of the Gamma chapter at Northwestern University.  Thus began the international expansion of Alpha Kappa Psi. 

In August 1976, women were admitted into the Fraternity under President Richard Rais at the Minneapolis Convention.  Beverly Grimm was the first female Regional Director of the Mideast Region in 1981, and Carol R. Carter was the first National Officer elected to the position of Vice President-College Chapters in 1985.

In 2000, Alpha Kappa Psi established three chapters in United Kingdom making Alpha Kappa Psi the first and only Professional Fraternity to expand overseas. 

Today, more than 280 college chapters and 90 alumni chapters have been installed and more than 180,000 members have been initiated.  Alpha Kappa Psi is the one of the largest American college fraternities.